When it comes to action stars, Bruce Willis is one of the best. Across over 50 action films throughout his five-decade-long career, Willis effectively redefined the action genre with the introduction of the everyman hero and became one of the most prominent names in the genre with roles like John McClane in Die Hard and Korben Dallas in The Fifth Element. Amid what became his most active decade for high-profile, critically acclaimed action movies in the ‘90s, Willis starred in a slept-on film that fans can now rewatch on Prime Video.
Mercury Rising hit Prime Video’s streaming catalog on April 1st, and it’s worth a watch for fans of action and Willis. Directed by Harold Becker and based on Ryne Douglas Pearson’s 1996 novel Simply Simon, the movie stars Willis as Arthur “Art” Jeffries, a renegade FBI agent who must protect a 9-year-old boy with autism who becomes a target for rogue NSA agents after deciphering a top-secret government code. The film was largely panned by critics and general audiences alike and became a box office disappointment when it grossed just $93 million against a $60 million budget.
Mercury Rising Is a Quintessential Bruce Willis Action Vehicle
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Mercury Rising is far from a perfect movie. It has a logic-defying plot that falls into predictable, stale action formulas, and it lacks genuine tension when compared to other films in the genre. But the movie is, without a doubt, a quintessential late-90s Willis action vehicle. The movie perfectly places the actor in his ‘90s “everyman-as-outcast” role, Willis excelling as a troubled, rogue FBI agent who relies on grit and intuition rather than team support, a role that perfectly aligned with his Die Hard-era tough-guy-with-a-heart image. That emotional vulnerability is combined with plenty of gritty action that delivers exactly what is expected from a late-90s action-thriller: solid chase scenes, high tension, and straightforward conflict.
Although Mercury Rising was initially labeled as “tiresome and hard-to-swallow” by critics and only holds a 21% critic score and 40% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s generally considered better today than its initial, largely negative reception. The movie perfectly fits into dadcore nostalgia and is a great comfort action watch for fans of the genre. Despite its flaws, Mercury Rising is genuinely pretty engaging, entertaining, and well-acted, with more recent reviews from the general audience calling it “one of the best hidden gems of the 90s” that features a “neat plot and keeps you watching. See it for fun.”
What’s New on Prime Video?
Mercury Rising is far from the only movie freshly streaming on Prime Video. April has been a big month for the Amazon streamer with the arrival of films like Cowboys & Aliens, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Spaceballs, and The Terminator. Up next on the schedule is the arrival of The Running Man on April 17th and The Conjuring: Last Rites on April 21st.
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